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Shared reading is an activity that can bring lots of joy. The act of sitting down together as a family can be so rewarding. It allows life to slow down and be savored. For a long time it was considered a lost art, but has seen a revival over the last several years. This surge is largely due to studies, which have said that reading out loud to your children fosters a life long love of reading.
If this is a new activity for your family, and you are meeting with resistance, a special space used for read alouds will be a perfect way to make the venture more inviting. Propping up big pillows in a corner, or building a fort together to climb into can all seem out-of-the ordinary and adventurous. This is a good idea for families who have employed shared reading for a while. It changes things up, and might renew the enthusiasm for read alouds.
Once a space has been chosen, the book selected can seem intimidating. There are so many titles. A story that can be grasped easily for first timers, and has lots of excitement or activities that can be jointly shared are good reads. The Little House series has many ways to incorporate additional fun. There are cooking recipes to try, or games that Laura and Mary played as a child to test out. If longer books seem a bit ambitious, there are picture books galore. Local libraries often have book lists appropriate for the child’s age in pamphlet form. These can provide a good list of time-tested and well-loved books.
While reading together, parents can opt for the child to take one paragraph to read out loud. This works on inflection and pacing for the younger reader. It also helps the parent identify what the strengths and weaknesses of their child. Taking turns also helps engage the listeners and give the parent’s voice a break. Reading together enables listeners to talk about the characters actions, whether good or bad, as the story unfolds. It also helps parents define new vocabulary and relay important plot points.
If shared reading just seems like another activity to add to the list of parent enrichment responsibilities, it can be simplified with books on tape. Children and parents are often in cars; books on tape allow everyone to enjoy a book. It provides a perfect way to alleviate car boredom. The idea of shared reading is not to make more work, but enhance family dynamics.
Shared Reading Activties:
Word Identification - Shared Reading teaches strategies for better word recognition. The book "If You Give A Mouse A Cookie" by Laura Joffe Numeroff is used. A poem anthology, "You Be Good and I’ll Be Night" is also supplemental material. Visual imagination of the story is stressed, along with specific literature elements.
Word Recognition Skills has worksheets using labeling techniques for key words. The lesson is aimed for kindergarten and first grades. However, the same ideas can be used with more complex words for older grades. A matching of simple words and their synonyms can be utilized.
A Taste of Blackberries has fourth graders understand the loss of a best friend, and how to be a good family member. It has children keep focus by noting facts on a bookmark. Writing exercises using letter format or a list of how to handle grief are introduced.
Reading Plans – Poem Puzzle has students practice listening and participating skills. A poem is written on a chart, line by line. After the poem is gone over several times, it is then cut up. The children try to piece the poem together.
Shared Reading – Synonyms and Antonyms is used as a means to recognize and decipher the differences between synonyms and antonyms. The reading of poetry is the method to teach these literature concepts. The replacing of words is used in the existing poem as part of the lesson.
Discussion Question:
What are your favorite shared reading activities and books?
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